Stadiums Queensland (SQ) has welcomed the release of the Stadium Taskforce final report.

The independent Taskforce, chaired by sports administrator John Lee, was announced in April 2018, to evaluate the operating and commercial principles of SQ venues as part of Queensland’s first Sport and Active Recreation Strategy.

SQ Chair Cathy McGuane said the organisation was pleased with the findings.   

“SQ’s portfolio provides a mix of iconic stadia and community and elite training facilities across the state, and we welcome the taskforce report to help ensure SQ is offering great venues and great experiences for Queenslanders,” Ms McGuane said.

“The report found Queensland Stadiums provide value to fans and spectators, with food and beverage prices on average cheaper than interstate, ticket prices comparable to or cheaper than other States and playing surfaces generally considered excellent, which is great,” she said.

“The Queensland model of single entity ownership of stadia was also acknowledged in the report as best practice because of the reduction in duplication for services across venues, with the similar models being adopted in other States. 

“Of course the report found room for improvement, and SQ has responded quickly to the 17 recommendations presented by the taskforce in its interim report.

“Transport costs were identified as having a major impact on the viability of Gold Coast sporting clubs, so we moved to adopt a $3.10 cap on transport and transfer management of bus services to the Department of Transport and Main Roads.

“The interim report recommendations also identified capacity to better capitalise on commercial opportunities at The Gabba, and SQ is currently preparing to go to tender for naming rights, with “Gabba” retained in the name.” 

Ms McGuane said SQ had delivered great events to Queenslanders in its venues over the last 12 months.

“Multiple SQ venues hosted training and competition for the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games, Ed Sheeran smashed the crowd record at Suncorp Stadium, Metricon Stadium held its first cricket match, The Gabba hosted a Taylor Swift concert and over 1 million people used our venues for community events and participation activities.

“SQ also completed the redevelopment of the athletics tracks at QSAC, the coloured LED lighting upgrade at The Gabba and significant progress was made on the Queensland State Netball Centre and North Queensland Stadium projects.

“We appreciate the opportunity to publicly highlight the obstacles and challenges faced by the organisation through the Taskforce investigations, and look forward to the release of the government response to the final report in 2019 and working with the Queensland Government on the supported recommendations.”

Stadiums Queensland manages, operates and promotes nine major facilities, including The Gabba, Suncorp Stadium, Metricon Stadium, Cbus Super Stadium, Sleeman Sports Complex, Queensland Sport Athletics Centre, Queensland Tennis Centre, Brisbane Entertainment Centre and 1300SMILES Stadium.